Nigeria’s National Assembly plans digital records and local-language laws

Nigeria’s National Assembly is planning a digital overhaul of parliamentary records and legislation, including translating federal laws into Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and other Nigerian languages. Henry Nwawuba, executive secretary of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund, announced the plans in Abuja at the opening of the 2026 National Assembly Library Week. The three-day event focuses on parliamentary records, legislative research and public access to information.

The reforms are expected to include digital repositories, a mobile application for legislative information, a Bills Tracker and simplified video and infographic explanations of laws and procedures. Nwawuba said the library was more than a store of books and documents. It holds Order Papers, Votes and Proceedings, committee reports, Acts, gazetted laws and oversight manuals that record Nigeria’s democratic development.

Clerk to the National Assembly Kamoru Ogunlana warned that digital technology had made it easier for altered or unauthorised legislative documents to circulate rapidly. He said the legislature needed systems to establish which version of an Act was authentic and authoritative. Ogunlana called for stronger cooperation among the National Assembly, the Attorney-General’s office, the Nigerian Law Reform Commission and the Federal Government Press.

He also said digitisation would require cybersecurity measures, including authentication, access controls, backups and staff training. The Bills Tracker is intended to let users follow bills through the legislative process. Translation and explanatory materials are meant to make laws easier to understand and expand public participation.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s representative, Osita Ngwu, urged lawmakers to use the library amid growing misinformation and advances in artificial intelligence.